Beth Massey will retire as Watonga’s chief of police on July 10. It will be the culmination of a 45 year career in law enforcement.
Massey said she began as a park ranger at Fountain Head, a now-shuttered state park at a time when there were few women in law enforcement. The year was 1981.
She was there for about three years when she moved to Greenfield. Her plan was to work as a ranger at Roman Nose State Park, but there were no openings at the time. The manager there, Pam Rickey, told her husband, Lonnie, that Massey was looking for work and he, as chief of police in Watonga, should hire her. He took her advice.
That began a long tenure with the city, lasting until 2013, when Blaine County hired Massey as jail administrator. She served in that capacity until 2021.
At that time, with a new sheriff in town, Massey went to the Department of Human Services as a child protective investigator.
But the City of Watonga wasn’t done with Massey yet. When it was in crisis mode and searching for a reliable chief, it came knocking at her door. She signed on as chief in 2022.
“The community had lost trust in the police department,” she said. There were only a few officers remaining and morale was pretty low. In four years, Massey has put the department back on the right path.
“We are back up to full force now,” she said. “We have regained some of that trust.”
The city has named Briston Lowry as the incoming chief, and the re- build will continue. “I know he’ll do a really good job. I’m leaving it in good hands.”
Massey was reluctant to choose a particular high point in her career.
“I made a lot of good friends. My goal has always been to be community oriented, and I have accomplished that.”
Her work has been appreciated by her law enforcement colleagues.
City Manager Leroy Alsup also extended his appreciation for Massey’s dedication.
“This community is appreciative of her long law enforcement tenure, not only for the city but at the sheriff’s office as well,” he said Tuesday.
Massey will be the guest of honor at a comeand- go reception from 24 p.m. Friday, July 10 at Watonga City Hall.